DENTAL CARE
TOOTHBRUSHES ARE ONE OF THE ICONS OF OCEAN PLASTIC
And rightly so. Everybody has one. And they aren’t recyclable. But toothbrushes aren’t the only way that our dental care has contributed to ocean plastic. Thankfully, there are some easy changes we can make.
toothbrushes
This an easy one. Bamboo toothbrushes are readily available everywhere now. We use them for travel, as we’ve all got electric brushes that I’m not going to just bin.
My faves, based on durability, looks (I know, I know) and sustainability, are these three: Georganics Hydrophill & Truthbrush. Just remember you need to pull the bristles out with pliers before you can compost the handle. Let the old brush loose on kitchen cleaning tasks first though.
Electric toothbrush devotees, if you ever need to replace it, consider this one from Geoganics. It comes in plastic-free packaging, which is already big improvement. And the replaceable heads are fully recyclable through Georganics ‘Zero to Landfill’ scheme. One of my kids has this one, and it’s great.
Flouride den-tabs
When it comes to toothpaste, I think this might be the be the best compromise.
These tiny minty tabs from Non Plastic Beach crunch down into a shot of flouride toothpaste. It takes a while to get used to the slightly dry mouth-feel (vs regular foamy toothpaste). But they are the only flouride option that I know of and they’re perfect for travel, although I can imagine a few raised eye-brows at security.
Packaged in a cardboard box, they are the ultimate zero-waste hero.
It’s a big thumbs-up from me.
truth paste
As an ex-Brighton-dweller, I love hearing about small-business success stories from my old seaside town.
Truth Paste is the UK’s first zero-waste and cruelty-free mineral based toothpaste. It’s made with bentonite clay, organic neem, aloe vera, myrrh and essential oils.
I was incredibly skeptical about this. But my teeth have genuinely never never felt cleaner, nor my mouth fresher (I sound like a 1950’s ad). You will need to get used to not having a mouth full of foam though - none of these natural products don’t do that. This is a good thing, when you learn what those foaming agents actually are!
There is a list of stockists here or buy it direct from Truth Paste.
GEORGANIcs
Georganics are totally owning this space.
The surprisingly big range is based on two oral-care super-powers, coconut oil, which is naturally antibacterial, and activated charcoal, which is a cleansing and whitening agent.
Lovely natural flavours, including English Peppermint, Green Tea and Mandarin - there are toothpastes, tooth-powders, dissolvable mouthwash tablets (brilliant idea!) and dental floss - although, there has recently been a bit of hoo-ha about the discovery that there is a tiny amount of nylon in the charcoal one. The silk one is fully compostable.
A one-stop clean-teeth shop from a company that is committed to being a sustainable, ethical, low-waste business. Win.
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